Difference between revisions of "About"

From Game Developer Research Institute
Jump to: navigation, search
(Viewing company entries)
(44 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
- - - - - UNDER CONSTRUCTION - - - - -
+
'''GDRI :: Game Developer Research Institute''', established on August 26, 2006, is a website dedicated to researching the companies and people that developed video games.
 
+
'''As mentioned on:''' [http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/001744.html Insert Credit]
+
 
+
'''Game Developer Research Institute''' (GDRI), officially established on August 26, 2006, is dedicated to finding out more information about the companies and the people that developed video games. Our specialty is researching contract developers that worked for larger publishers, but usually weren't given proper credit.
+
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
In 2005, future GDRI founder CRV noticed the words "PROGRAMMED BY SIMS CO., LTD." shortly after booting up ''George Foreman's KO Boxing'' for the Sega Master System. He posted his findings on SMS Power, jumpstarting a whole investigative thread discovering many other games developed by [[Sanritsu/SIMS|SIMS]]. The success of this investigation led to more of them, including ones of [[Aicom]] and games published by Pony Canyon, both of which led to some grueling discussion.
+
In 2005, [http://www.smspower.org/ SMS Power] forums member [[User:CRV|CRV]] noticed the words "PROGRAMMED BY [[SIMS]] CO., LTD." shortly after booting up ''George Foreman's KO Boxing'' for the Sega Master System. This jumpstarted [http://www.smspower.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6909 an investigative thread] that eventually uncovered many other games developed by that company. Investigations into [http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87370 Aicom] and [http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70535 games published by Pony Canyon] soon followed.
  
As more development companies became uncovered and more people became interested in helping, it no longer seemed practical to post only on message boards. CRV felt there should be one source for all of this information. [http://www.review-site.net/developer/ SIT Developer Table], a Japanese site with listings for a wide variety of game companies, provided the inspiration, but he wanted something more dynamic. The solution he found was in the form of a wiki.  
+
As more development companies were discovered and more people became interested in helping, it no longer seemed practical to post only on message boards. One source for this information would be more convenient. [http://review-site.net/dt/index.php/メインページ Developer Table], a Japanese site with listings for a wide variety of game development companies, provided the inspiration. Because of its ease of use and ability to allow anyone to edit and contribute, a wiki appeared to be the best solution.  
  
CRV asked for web space from Omar Cornut, the webmaster of [http://www.smspower.org/ SMS Power], which he was soon given. In August 2006, the wiki software was installed and work began immediately.
+
In August 2006, the wiki software was installed and work began immediately. Today, GDRI has hundreds of company entries, individual profiles, and interviews.
 
+
Today, we have over 100 company entries and over a dozen [[Interviews|interviews]]. Thanks to our small group of [[#Contributors|contributors]], we are always growing and learning new things.
+
  
 
==Research Methods==
 
==Research Methods==
The following are the primary ways GDRI tries to determine the developer (company) of a game:
+
:''Main article: [[About:Research Methods]]
  
===Actual mentions===
+
Read more about how GDRI determines the developer of a game.
An "actual mention" is when a company name is actually mentioned in or on the game. Sometimes, a game or game package will say upfront it was developed/programmed by a certain company.
+
  
Other times, the mention is not-so-forthcoming. It might say "Produced by Company" or "Designed by Company." And other times still, the company might just be mentioned in the copyright notice. In these cases, we might need to infer that the company is the developer. Hopefully, there will be other evidence to back up that initial inference.
+
==Using the site==
 +
===Viewing company entries===
 +
All company entries follow the same basic format: background information and company logo (if available) at the top, game list in the middle, and links of interest at the bottom. However, there are variations when it comes to disclosing what research methods were used to build our game lists.
  
Examples of "actual mentions:" [http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Image:Robin.png 1] [http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Image:Kabuki.png 2] [http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Image:HaniontheRoad(J)-023.png 3] [http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Image:Actualmention1.jpg 4]
+
'''Variation 1'''
  
===Code comparisons===
+
Most entries use this variation, which is a straightfoward list at the top of the page that looks like this:
Thanks to a program developed especially for GDRI, we can perform code comparisons. This program can look at two different files and show what is shared between them. For our purposes, we can compare two ROMs for games we know to be by the same developer and see what code is shared between the two. From there, we can search for this shared data in other ROMs. If there's a significant amount of shared code in these other ROMs, there is a good possibility that these were programmed by the developer of the two games we originally compared.
+
:'''[[About:Research Methods|Research Methods]]:''' Code comparisons, interviews, online resources (see Links), shared staff
  
Sometimes, this is not particularly helpful if there is a lot of generic code used or there are drastically different programming teams. Other times, this can be a powerful tool (especially if it can be backed up by other evidence).
+
If you need a reminder of what each "research method" involves, click on '''Research Methods''' to read about them.
  
The aforementioned program is not available for download yet, as it is not in a distributable state.
+
'''Variation 2'''
  
''NOTE: GDRI does not condone software piracy.''
+
This variation is more specific and more time-consuming to put together, so it will only be used with a select few companies. Instead of one general list, each individual game will have listed the methods used to figure out the developer. For example:
  
===E-mail===
+
*''Battle Baseball'' (JP Publisher: Banpresto)
Sometimes, GDRI is able to make contact with former staffers who are willing to help and share info with us. Consult our [[In Their Words]] section for some of the replies we've received so far.
+
:<small>Hidden data | Shared staff</small>
  
If you are a former staffer with one of the developers covered on GDRI and want to help us, please contact us at smsgenny at vgrebirth dot org.
+
If a method listed has a link, you can click it to find out more. In the case of "[Shared staff]," you will be taken to a page containing the game's credits. Relevant staff will be highlighted in yellow.
  
以前ゲームの開発に関わった方なら、どうぞご連絡ください。日本語、他国語問いません。
+
'''Reading game lists'''
  
===Online resources===
+
Games are listed by platform.
Company websites are great resources for information, especially if the company is open about the games it worked on in the past (thus eliminating a lot of legwork for us).
+
  
Failing that, a great resource is [http://www.review-site.net/developer/ SIT Developer Table], a Japanese site that was the inspiration for GDRI. There, you'll find works lists for a multitude of game companies. If we're interested enough in a company listed, we might be inspired to do some of our own research.
+
*''Game Name'' (role) (Publishers)
 +
:<div style="color:red">Red means we think a company is involved OR we know a company is involved but are unsure to what extent</div>
 +
:<small>Other companies involved in development</small>
  
Information can also be culled from [http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia] articles or message boards and discussion forums such as [http://www.2ch.net/ 2ch].
+
===Editing===
 +
Much of GDRI is editable by anyone who wishes to contribute. If you choose to edit anything without being logged into an account, your IP address will be recorded and displayed publicly in the edit history. Remember that anything you contribute may be altered or removed by someone else.
  
===ROM text===
+
Account creation is currently closed. If you are interested in creating an account, please [[Special:Contact|contact us]].
You never know what you will find when you open up a ROM (which is as easy as opening it in Microsoft Notepad). One might find the name of the developer, names of staffers, or other "secret" text strings not otherwise accessible by playing the game.
+
  
Take, for example, the following text string found in the Master System ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' ROM:
+
If you do not know how to edit a wiki page, please consult [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents Wikipedia's Help section]. We also recommend you click on "Edit" in an entry that has already been started and pay attention to the formatting.
<pre>MS SONIC¥THE¥HEDGEHOG.2 Ver1.00 1992/09/05 SEGA /Aspect Co.,Ltd</pre>
+
  
===Shared credits===
+
==Contacting us==
GDRI scours the Internet, ROMs, and other sources to find game credits. We might even play through an entire game just to get them. When we've gathered enough credits from various games, we can compare them, see what is shared between them, and hopefully come to some sort of conclusion.
+
Any questions, comments, or other feedback can be sent via [[Special:Contact|our contact form]]. We want to hear from you!
  
As we mentioned before, credits can be found in the ROMs. Usually, these are the same credits that can be seen by finishing the game. This is not to be confused with ROM text (described above), which is typically not meant to be seen by the general public.
+
You can also reach us through [http://twitter.com/gdri Twitter].
  
===Print===
+
==Game developers==
Books, magazines, and other publications can also contain useful information.
+
If you work/worked in the video game industry and have a story or information you would like to share, please [[Special:Contact|contact us]]. Do, however, keep in mind the following conditions:
 
+
==Finding out what methods were used==
+
Most of our entries will feature one of the following "configurations" to display what methods were used in determining our game lists.
+
 
+
===Configuration 1===
+
The most common of the two configurations is essentially a straightfoward list at the top of the page like this:
+
:'''Research Methods:''' Code comparisons, e-mail, online resources (see links), shared credits
+
 
+
If you need a reminder of what each "research method" involves, just click on '''Research Methods''' to be taken to this page.
+
 
+
===Configuration 2===
+
This configuration is more specific and more time-consuming to put together, so it will only be used with a few smaller developers. Instead of one general list, each game will have listed the methods used to figure out the developer. For example:
+
 
+
*''Sonic Labyrinth'' (under SIMS) (JP/US Publisher: Sega)
+
:[[Credits:Sonic Labyrinth|[Shared credits]]] [[ROM text:Sonic Labyrinth|[ROM text]]]
+
 
+
If a method listed has a link, you can click it to find out more. In the case of "[Shared credits]," you will be taken to a page containing the game's credits. Relevant staffers will be linked. Click the link and you can see other games that person has worked on.
+
 
+
==Reading game lists==
+
'''Platform'''
+
*''Game Name'' (role) (Publishers)
+
:<small>Other companies involved in development</small>
+
  
:<div>Black means the company was the primary developer (or co-developer)</div>
+
- If you name any specific game titles, we would like to be able to include them in our entries.
:<div style="color:gray">Gray means the company provided support development (ex: [[EIM]] doing only music/sound on ''Casino Kid II'')</div>
+
:<div style="color:red">Red means we are unsure of the extent to which the company was involved</div>
+
  
==Contributors==
+
- We will keep anything "off the record" at your request, by which we mean we will not attribute a particular piece of information to you. We would rather you not share information with us that cannot be published on the site AT ALL. But if you must, we will abide by your request, but we cannot guarantee that other contributors will not be privy to this information.
'''[[User:CRV|CRV]]'''<br>
+
Founder, administrator of GDRI.
+
  
'''[[User:Dimitri|Dimitri]]'''<br>
+
These same conditions apply to interviews that we initiate.
Performs [[Research Methods#Code comparisons|code comparisons]] and translates credits.
+
  
'''[[User:Idrougge|Idrougge]]'''<br>
+
==Press/media==
Contributes to entries and tries to contact Japanese game developers.
+
Members of the press/media may use the following logo:
  
'''Others:''' [[User:Hydr0x|Hydr0x]], [[User:Jonny2x4|Jonny2x4]], [[User:Kaminari|Kaminari]], [[User:Manjimaru|Manjimaru]], [[User:NeoZeedeater|NeoZeedeater]]
+
[[Image:Wiki.png|GDRI logo]]
  
===Contacting us===
+
Right-click and save. Do not hotlink directly to it.
Any questions, comments, or other feedback can be sent via e-mail to smsgenny at vgrebirth.org.
+
  
You can often find us on IRC: popn.cjb.net #project2612
+
==Legal==
 +
Read our site terms and conditions, privacy policy, and more [[Legal|here]].

Revision as of 02:33, 20 August 2017

GDRI :: Game Developer Research Institute, established on August 26, 2006, is a website dedicated to researching the companies and people that developed video games.

History

In 2005, SMS Power forums member CRV noticed the words "PROGRAMMED BY SIMS CO., LTD." shortly after booting up George Foreman's KO Boxing for the Sega Master System. This jumpstarted an investigative thread that eventually uncovered many other games developed by that company. Investigations into Aicom and games published by Pony Canyon soon followed.

As more development companies were discovered and more people became interested in helping, it no longer seemed practical to post only on message boards. One source for this information would be more convenient. Developer Table, a Japanese site with listings for a wide variety of game development companies, provided the inspiration. Because of its ease of use and ability to allow anyone to edit and contribute, a wiki appeared to be the best solution.

In August 2006, the wiki software was installed and work began immediately. Today, GDRI has hundreds of company entries, individual profiles, and interviews.

Research Methods

Main article: About:Research Methods

Read more about how GDRI determines the developer of a game.

Using the site

Viewing company entries

All company entries follow the same basic format: background information and company logo (if available) at the top, game list in the middle, and links of interest at the bottom. However, there are variations when it comes to disclosing what research methods were used to build our game lists.

Variation 1

Most entries use this variation, which is a straightfoward list at the top of the page that looks like this:

Research Methods: Code comparisons, interviews, online resources (see Links), shared staff

If you need a reminder of what each "research method" involves, click on Research Methods to read about them.

Variation 2

This variation is more specific and more time-consuming to put together, so it will only be used with a select few companies. Instead of one general list, each individual game will have listed the methods used to figure out the developer. For example:

  • Battle Baseball (JP Publisher: Banpresto)
Hidden data | Shared staff

If a method listed has a link, you can click it to find out more. In the case of "[Shared staff]," you will be taken to a page containing the game's credits. Relevant staff will be highlighted in yellow.

Reading game lists

Games are listed by platform.

  • Game Name (role) (Publishers)
Red means we think a company is involved OR we know a company is involved but are unsure to what extent
Other companies involved in development

Editing

Much of GDRI is editable by anyone who wishes to contribute. If you choose to edit anything without being logged into an account, your IP address will be recorded and displayed publicly in the edit history. Remember that anything you contribute may be altered or removed by someone else.

Account creation is currently closed. If you are interested in creating an account, please contact us.

If you do not know how to edit a wiki page, please consult Wikipedia's Help section. We also recommend you click on "Edit" in an entry that has already been started and pay attention to the formatting.

Contacting us

Any questions, comments, or other feedback can be sent via our contact form. We want to hear from you!

You can also reach us through Twitter.

Game developers

If you work/worked in the video game industry and have a story or information you would like to share, please contact us. Do, however, keep in mind the following conditions:

- If you name any specific game titles, we would like to be able to include them in our entries.

- We will keep anything "off the record" at your request, by which we mean we will not attribute a particular piece of information to you. We would rather you not share information with us that cannot be published on the site AT ALL. But if you must, we will abide by your request, but we cannot guarantee that other contributors will not be privy to this information.

These same conditions apply to interviews that we initiate.

Press/media

Members of the press/media may use the following logo:

GDRI logo

Right-click and save. Do not hotlink directly to it.

Legal

Read our site terms and conditions, privacy policy, and more here.